The rest of the world may know it primarily for ABBA, Volvo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but to me, Sweden has always been synonymous to wilderness. Having spent most of my life living abroad, this year provided me with an opportunity to rediscover the country of my birth – one that I wasn’t slow to latch onto.
North of the Arctic Circle, the landscape consists largely of mountains, forests, and water; Sweden has some 100,000 lakes, and countless streams and rivers. This far north, the variation and contrast from season to season can be extreme, and although each has its charms – the wildflowers of spring, the snowy vistas of winter, the balmy temperatures of summer – it was for the colours of autumn that I had traveled here.
I enjoy using filters as much as the next person, but I love photographing during that brief spell before total darkness when water and sky are perfectly balanced, and there is just enough light left for a few attempted long exposure shots. It is somewhat hurried work, moving around on slippery rocks without being able to see very well and adjusting settings to the disappearing light. This is one reason I like to work within the 30-second limit of manual mode rather than bulb: the exposure reading is (usually) somewhat accurate, and makes new adjustments less risky when time is of the essence.
It took me until the very last day of a three-week journey to find the spot I had been looking for all along: the perfect river, the perfect backdrop of autumn colours, and the perfect overcast evening. I love the way moving water is able to convey a sense of serenity and harmony, but also strength and power.
